Q: I would love to see the Pens go out and sign Sean Avery. It may sound a bit crazy, but he's a tough presence the Pens could definitely use, and he can score a bit, too. If he can keep his mouth shut off the ice, he's a guy I would love to see the Pens sign. Do you think there's any chance at all of Ray Shero going out and signing him?

Marty, Windber, Pa.

MOLINARI: No. Not unless Shero concludes that if there's one thing a team struggling to regain its equilibrium-- and losing a lot of games in the process -- needs to get things going in the right direction, it's an overpaid, self-absorbed jerk with a well-documented history of being a disruptive influence on every team he's ever been a part of. Should Shero decide that, Avery definitely is his guy.

And if he opts to go that route -- in what presumably would be his final move as GM -- Shero shouldn't have much trouble prying his rights away from Dallas, since the Stars are on the hook for what's left of the four-year, $15.5 million deal they gave Avery in July. Last month, Dallas decided that paying Avery that money to stay away was its best course of action, a judgment infinitely more sound than the one to bring him in in the first place.

Q: Do you think the lack of leadership that is talked about with this team has to do with the rotating of alternate captains every month? I seems like that is supposed to be an honor for a player to receive the "A", but rotating every month, the prestige is taken away and nobody really is viewed upon as a team leader -- it just ends up being that player's turn.

Greg, Ross

MOLINARI: The thinking here is that there should be two players who hold the alternate captaincies on a fairly permanent basis, with possibly a third involved in some sort of rotation; giving two different guys an "A" at the first of each month really doesn't seem to serve any good purpose.

Then again, if a player thinks he has to have an "A" stitched on his sweater to act like a leader, he isn't much of one to begin with.

Q: I think everyone would agree that the Penguins are missing something, whether it's chemistry, grit or lack of production from some guys who are counted on for production. My question is, do you think not being able to attend their boot camp at West Point has been a factor in their lack of chemistry or grit this season? I think going through that allowed them to get comfortable and rely on each other in tough times.

Brian Finnigan, Boardman, Ohio

MOLINARI: Not spending a few days at the U.S. Military Academy had zero impact on the Penguins' grit -- it not as if, say, Miroslav Satan would have been transformed into a win-or-die-trying warrior if he'd been able to put in a few quality hours on the obstacle course -- but there's no question the team-building time they spent there in 2006 and 2007 contributed to exceptional camaraderie the Penguins had.

Even so, a visit to West Point does not come with a guarantee of success. If it did, 30 teams would be booking a trip there every autumn.